10 BASIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

WHAT IS DESIGN PRINCIPLE?

The principles of design are the rules a designer must follow to create an effective and attractive composition. The fundamental principles of design are Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space. Design differs from art in that it has to have a purpose.

1. BALANCE

Balance lends stability and structure to an overall design. To understand it better, think that there’s weight behind each of your design elements. Shapes, text boxes and images are the elements that form your design, so it’s important to be familiar with the visual weight each of those elements possesses. Now, this doesn’t mean that the elements always need to be distributed evenly or that they must be of an equal size — balance is either symmetrical or asymmetrical. Symmetrical balance is when the weight of elements is evenly divided on either side of the design, whereas asymmetrical balance uses scale, contrast, and colour to achieve the flow in design.

2. PROXIMITY

Proximity helps in creating a relationship between similar or related elements. These elements need not be grouped, instead, they should be visually connected by way of font, colour, size, etc.

3. Alignment

Alignment plays a pivotal role in creating a seamless visual connection with the design elements. It gives an ordered appearance to images, shapes, and blocks of texts by eliminating elements placed in a dishevelled manner.

4. Visual Hierarchy

In simple words, a hierarchy is formed when extra visual weight is given to the most important element or message in your design. It can be achieved in various ways — using larger or bolder fonts to highlight the title; placing the key message higher than the other design elements; or adding focus to larger, more detailed and more colourful visuals than those less relevant or smaller images.

05. Repetition

Repetition is a fundamental design element, especially when it comes to branding. It creates a rhythm and strengthens the overall design by tying together consistent elements such as logo and colour palette, making the brand or design instantly recognisable to viewers.

06. Contrast

Contrast happens when there is a difference between the two opposing design elements. The most common types of contrast are dark vs. light, contemporary vs. old-fashioned, large vs. small, etc. Contrast guides a viewer’s attention to the key elements, ensuring each side is legible.

07. Colour

Colour is an important design basic and it dictates the overall mood of a design. The colours you pick represent your brand and its tonality, so be careful with the palette you choose. As a graphic designer, it’s always helpful to have a basic knowledge of colour theory, for example, gold & neutral shades evoke an overall feel of sophistication, bright colours signal happiness, and blue creates a feeling of calmness. Colour palettes can be used as a contrast or even to complement the elements.

08. Negative Space

We’ve discussed the importance of colours, images, and shapes, but what about the space that is left blank? It is called the ‘negative space’, which in simple words means the area between or around the elements. If used creatively, negative space can help create a shape and highlight the important components of your design.

What Is Negative Space in Design?

Basically, negative space – or white space, as it’s often called – is the area of the layout that is left empty. It may be not only around the objects you place in the layout but also between and inside them. Negative space is a kind of breathing room for all the objects on the page or screen. Not only does it define the limits of objects but it also creates the necessary bonds between them according to Gestalt principles and builds up effective visual performance. Due to that, white space is a rightful design element that has a big impact on positive user experience. “White space is like a canvas: it’s the background that holds the elements together in a design, enabling them to stand out”

09. Typography

Typography is one of the key pillars of design, and it speaks volumes about a brand or an artwork when executed stylistically or even customised. Sometimes, ‘type’ is all you need to showcase your design concept.

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing, and letter-spacing, and adjusting the space between pairs of letters.

10. Rules

Once you’re an adept graphic designer who understands the foundations of design, then it’s time to break some of those rules. And, by that, I don’t mean, use pixelated images or an illegible font type. Remember, whatever it is that you’re choosing to communicate, should not be compromised.

These are the 10 basic principles of design.

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